Politicians don’t care about us, say uplands residents

A survey suggests 97% of residents across the Peak District, North York Moors and Forest of Bowland feel “abandoned” by the Government. 

The People’s Plan for the Uplands, compiled by the Regional Moorland Groups, intends to provide recommendations for policymakers regarding Britain’s heather moorland and the communities that live there. The survey, which includes farmers, keepers and conservationists, champions game shooting and management techniques such as cool burning. 

The report reveals that upland residents feel politicians don’t utilise local knowledge or expertise to help protect the region’s moorland. It also suggests the Government’s current approach to conservation is having a negative impact on the region’s biodiversity. 

One respondent noted “areas managed by Natural England and the RSPB have experienced a far greater decline in ground-nesting birds than moors managed for shooting”. 

Richard Bailey, coordinator of the Peak District Moorland Group, said: “People fundamentally want a say in how the nature around them is managed. However, they feel that politicians are entirely in hock to a conservation industry who either don’t realise or don’t care how their work affects local communities.”